Smoke Showing in Avondale Borough

Fire Box - 2301

President's Day morning started off with a box alarm for a house fire in the 300 Block of East Third Street in northeast section of Avondale Borough. The initial alarm consisted of Stations 23, 22, 24 for two engines, and New Castle County Station 19 for an engine. Ladder 22 (O'Connell) was on the street quickly with a crew of four. Reports indicated a chimney fire that extended into the second and third floors of the dwelling.

Chief 23 (Cole, Jr) was first to arrive to confirm the address and reported a 3 story single family dwelling with smoke showing and established "Third Street Command". Ladder 22 arrived and took a position on the A side of the dwelling and the crew went to work. Command instructed Ladder 22 to head to Division 2 for a primary search and check for any further extension. Engine 23-2 arrived and picked up the first due engine responsibilities and the crew stretched a 1 3/4" handline into Division 1 to suppress the wood stove and the fire in the wall.

Ladder 22's crew donned their Self Contained Breathing Apparatus and entered the structure, which posed "Collyer's Mansion" conditions. Driver Slaymaker placed all ground ladders on sides A, C, and D. Crews found three residents inside and escorted them from the smoke filled structure to the crew of Ambulance 23.

Ladder 22 crew made access to Division 2 to locate a fire burning above their heads on the Division 3 floor. The crew worked to expose the fire while the crew from Engine 22 stretched a second 1 3/4" handline to side C. With the handline at the Division 3 Side C window, Ladder crew placed it in service and extinguished the fire.

Engine 23-2 made quick work on Division 1 and worked their way to Division 2 to begin to open windows for natural ventilation. At this point in the incident Engine 24-2 laid out 300' of 5" supply line from the fire hydrant at Garner & Third, Engine 12 crew arrived and entered into the man power pool and was quickly assigned overhaul and salvage operations, Tanker 22 was returned and ordered to standby at station to cover the two fire locals, and Engine 21-2 transferred into Station 22 to cover the first due area.

West Grove crews operated just over one hour until Command scaled the box alarm back to the first two engines from 23.